Less than three weeks after leading the Michigan Wolverines to a college football national championship, Jim Harbaugh is returning to the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers have been making a visible push for Harbaugh since firing Brandon Staley in December, and now they've secured Harbaugh as their coach of the future.
Harbaugh is leaving a Wolverines squad that went 15-0 while securing a Big Ten title and National Championship. Harbaugh's successful college career saw three Big Ten Championship wins and success at both Stanford and Michigan. He also had a brief NFL stint from 2011-2014 as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. His NFL experience included a berth to Super Bowl XLVII and a Coach of the Year award. He'll be hoping to regain that same success as the head coach of the team he once played quarterback for.
Harbaugh will now focus on getting star Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert the support he deserves. Despite consistently making some of the league's best throws and consistently having some of the league's best stats, Herbert's career record sits at 30-32 after four seasons. Harbaugh's Chargers have the fifth overall pick and will likely spend it on a pass-catcher.
Herbert's current receiving options currently include the aging Keenan Allen, who's on the last year of his contract, and Mike Williams, who is dynamic but often injured. The Chargers spent last season's first round pick on wideout Quentin Johnston, who struggled mightily in his debut season. Potential options with pick five include tight end Brock Bowers and wideouts Malik Nabers Jr and Rome Odunze.
Harbaugh will also need to repair a Chargers defense that has yet to see consistent success while Herbert has been around. Khalil Mack is entering the last year of his contract and will be 33 in less than a month. The Chargers have plenty of other roster holes for Harbaugh to fill with the team's seven draft picks, but Harbaugh's presence in a big market like Los Angeles should create plenty of interest among free agents as well.
Meanwhile, Michigan will defend their 2023 national championship under a new head coach. One current favorite is current Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, who coached four games this season as Michigan's interim head coach while Harbaugh served a suspension that resulted from a sign-stealing scandal. Moore's Michigan program will likely see significant number of decommitments in the coming days, similar to what Washington and Alabama experienced following the recent loss of their head coaches. A rapid replacement at head coach could speed or slow those decommitments, depending on how the new hire is received.
There are now four NFL head coaching jobs available. The Seahawks, Panthers, Falcons and Commanders are all still searching for their next leader. Interviewers are targeting a number of coaches that remain in the playoffs, and interviews will have to wait until those coaches are no longer busy. It could be a while before we see another coaching seat filled. I'll be reporting on the most notable moves but will certainly report on the Seahawks' new coach when their hiring process is completed.
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